A North Dakota board that regulates private investigators and security firms is dipping into financial reserves and delaying payment of some legal bills after an expensive battle with a company that handled security for the heavily protested Dakota Access oil pipeline.

The driller and contractors that oversaw an oil and gas well that exploded in January ignored expert advice about what material to use downhole, which contributed to the blowout, causing five deaths, two lawsuits allege.

An attorney for six young people who want the state to impose tougher safeguards on the energy industry told the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday that the law requires regulators to protect public health from the hazards of drilling.